Onam in UAE: 3-course meal featuring over 20 items, explained

Onam in UAE: 3-course meal featuring over 20 items, explained

Today is Thiruvonam, the tenth day of the countdown to Onam - an annual cultural festival marked by Keralites. Many restaurants in the UAE are marking the day by serving Onasadhya (translation: Onam feast), a three-course meal that includes over 20 varieties of items and is eaten on a banana leaf. Today, we decode the feast, what is served and how it is eaten.

The sadhya (feast) is meant to activate all tastebuds of a person by serving curries that are sweet, sour, spicy, salty and tangy. The leaf itself is divided into the upper and lower portions. The upper portion is where all the curries are served, and the lower portion is where the rice is served.

The dishes served towards the tip are the condiments like salt, banana chips, sharkaravaratti (fried banana chips coated in jaggery) and pappadam. These are usually considered appetizers which people eat as the rest of the sadhya is being served.

Next, a variety of pickles like lime and mango are served. The pickles are extremely beneficial for gut health. As is the puliyinji, a dark brown sweet-sour and spicy curry made of ginger, tamarind, green chillies and jaggery. A whole banana is served as it helps